


Azurrin Week 2018

by thehaakun



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-10 14:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15950822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehaakun/pseuds/thehaakun
Summary: For their dream of being together -- it was simply meant to be.---[F!Azurrin] Collection of one-shots for Azurrin Week 2018. ^^''





	1. Blessing / Curse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> azura is a blessing to the world the end
> 
> Anyway happy start to azurrin week !!! i’m so excited to post the rest of my prompts for you guys because i have absolutely no concept of consistency or good pacing so get ready for a bunch of weirdly lengthed one-shots !! ! bc u know !! fuck good planning !! just gay as fast as possible !! gotta gay fast !!

Corrin lies in bed, propped up by a bunch of pillows at her back, and she weakly grimaces as her chest shudders once more as she struggles to stop herself from letting out a vicious cough.

“Oh, love, don’t push yourself,” Azura says at Corrin’s bedside, twisting a hand towel free of water into a small bowl on the nightstand. “Being bedridden isn’t the worst thing that could happen to you.”

“Y-yes it is,” Corrin says, her face red with fever. “I can’t go out and _do_ things. I hate being stuck here.”

As Azura lays the cool towel across Corrin’s forehead, Corrin says, “A-and the queen of Valla shouldn’t have to waste time doing this--”

“I think the people can understand if their queen wants to look after her consort,” Azura says as she sits back down, casting Corrin a firm look.

And despite the weariness and weakness Corrin feels, she can’t help but admit to herself that having Azura close lifts her spirits. It’s still a bizarre scene though; Azura, in her formal royal attire, the golden tiara on her head and elegant white dress lightly accenting her curves, with its white skirt ending just above her ankles.

One thing that hadn’t changed since the war was that neither of them wore shoes. Barefoot, as always.

Corrin glances away from Azura’s resolute expression, but when she tries to speak she hacks up another cough, her ribs aching with pain as her chest constricts; although she hastily covers her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt, Azura hastily offers her a glass of juice.

“Th-thanks,” Corrin wheezes, hating that her hand trembles as she tries to take the glass from Azura.

“Here, love. Just let me help.”

Knowing better than to argue, Corrin lets Azura help her, gratefully taking several gulps of juice as Azura tilts the glass to her lips. As Corrin drops her head back onto her pillows, letting out a tired sigh, Azura reaches out and gently tucks a strand of hair behind Corrin’s ear.

“Just get rest, Corrin. You’ll be better in no time.”

“I wanna be better _now,_ though.”

That manages to draw a chuckle out from Azura, and she says, “As patient as ever, I see.”

“I wanna be able to hold your hand! And--” Corrin coughs again, but she waves her hand to brush off Azura’s concern. “--and cuddle with you, and help you with your duties--”

“Oh, Corrin, I appreciate the sentiment,” Azura says softly, and she offers Corrin a gentle smile. “But what would make me happiest right now is knowing that you’re getting the rest you need to recover.”

Of course, her wife pouts, mentally cursing all the gods that personally struck her down with the flu, but then she abruptly sneezes -- and with a little burst of blue flame, her silver antlers flash into existence, curving around her ears and up past her head.

“Oh, damn it, not again!” Corrin slumps back in her sheets, groaning. The sicker she was the less control she seemed to have over her dragon powers, and even with her dragonstone on the nightstand next to her, her control still proved futile to the whims of sickness.

Azura giggles, though. “Bless you, Corrin.”

“Bless me? Getting sick is like a curse!”

“Then a blessing’s all you need to get better, hm?”

Azura laughs when Corrin heaves an exasperated sigh -- but then that throws Corrin into another coughing fit, and Azura hastily gets the glass of juice once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that this one is a bit short lol I put more effort into the other ,, prompts lmao  
> Also lbh azura should’ve been queen of valla in the endgame jUST SAYIGN  
> can't wait to post more for u guys ahhhhhhhHHHHHHH


	2. Light / Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS DAY 2 OF AZURRIN WEEK AND HERE WE GO !! WITH ANOTHER !!
> 
> uhhh me squinting at like 100 websites about cool shit in space: what the fuck is all this shit  
> This is meant to be more metaphorical than anything and i wanted more practice writing things that are way outside my comfort zone lmao but also me (whips) takes prompt as loosely as possible to make it work with the ideas i already have in my own brain  
> Ty for reading!!

Corrin tastes, on the tip of her tongue, the brightness of stardust. And she feels, on the tips of her fingers, the light of a galaxy.

When she opens her eyes, she sees, at the farthest edges of her vision, the infinite horizons of the universe, ever unceasing, ever expanding, ever going farther and farther into the recesses of beyond. When she breathes in, her lungs expand with the wonders of all the stars in the sky, and her heart fills with a cosmos of comets and shooting stars, little twinkles of light in her soul that remind her that she’s alive.

But in the same way, her chest constricts as she exhales, and she glimpses for the faintest moment, the blackness of the night skies as she closes her eyes to the world once more. She lands, somewhere, in the vastness of infinity, and her bare feet sink into an unseen dip between the stars, and her toes sink into a cool mass.

Shadows play with the boundaries of light, a dance between the elements.

But a duet requires two halves to make a whole, and one without the other could never come to be.

“Corrin,” a voice whispers to her, like the brush of a sun’s warmth. Cool hands with soft palms caress her cheeks, like the touch of a breeze on a spring day. Then, a kiss on her lips, and Corrin feels a supernova of colors blossom in her chest then, ever so wonderful and brilliant. So she tangles a hand in hair as blue as the neverending sky, and feels at her fingertips the strings of fate that bind them together -- red threads interwoven among the fabric of the space and time.

When she opens her eyes, gold looks back at her, like a star reborn.

“Azura,” Corrin says, breathless. “It’s always been you, and it’ll always be you.”

Past, present, and future -- their fates were inexplicably tied, the same way that the earth and the moon and the sun were bound in orbit by gravity. 

So when Corrin interlaces her fingers with Azura’s, stars blossom in the night sky, petals of light opening to become the radiance of a thousand suns. And when Azura lays a kiss on her cheek once more, as she’s done a thousand times before and as she will a thousand times after, a nebula blushes across her face; red and pink and all the hues of the life that beats through her heart, but between the two of them, there’s gray and blue and white and black and gold as well.

When Corrin trails her fingers down Azura’s bare back, drawing constellations across the myriad of battle scars there, Azura sighs deeply, closing her eyes and letting herself drift asunder. “And it will always be you, and I, together. Here, now, and forever.”

And even if they were light years away from each other, divided by astronomical amounts of space, Corrin knew then that what kept them together transcended reality.

Two hearts, closer than anything, untouched by the sands of time.

Because whether it be by will, or by fate, or by law, or more likely -- love -- the two were simply meant to be.

And like the rising of the moon and the setting of the sun, they were dawn and dusk, morning and evening, daybreak and twilight. And like the universe, infinitely black but infinitely white, contrasts of unending black space with unending white stars, they were two halves of a reality.

And together, they would  _ be, _ forevermore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that it's short again lmao i SWEAR I DID WRITE LONG PROMPTS LMAO like tomorrow's is...a bit longer than usual SO!!!!   
> me googling cool shit in space: what the fuck is goi non


	3. Fear / Resolve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOY OH BOY i'm so excited for this one you guys lmao I really like this prompt a lot  
> ty ticcy for giving me the idea she has such wonderful aus lmao  
> ANYWAY HERE WE GO AZURRIN DAY 3 HERE WE GO HERE EE GO LET S' GO !!!

Azura thinks it’s a very, very, very bad idea to do what she’s doing, but neither can she will herself to turn away someone who direly needs her help.

She wipes the sweat on her forehead with her forearm, the other hand holding a large tome, whose pages are filled with numerous inscriptions of various spells and incantations meant to heal and revive.

For there, on her bed, Azura had placed a dying knight, the knight’s body covered in wounds from a battle with bandits along the road. A glistening sheen of sweat shines on the knight’s bare skin, her wild silver hair a frayed mess framing her face. Paleness has drained the blood from the knight’s face, marking her as one close to death, and her eyes are shut to the world, her breathing ragged and uneven. The sheets beneath the knight’s body are stained a deep red, from brutal cuts and gashes that crisscross every limb.

Azura shifts in her seat by the bedside. Anxiety grips her gut, tight and unforgiving.

She glances at where she’d placed the knight’s sword by the door, a gleaming, intimidating lethal blade that shone and flashed gold as the fire in the hearth scorched and burned its red flames.

Then she looks at the armor she’d placed next to herself, shining silver plates with an extravagant indigo cape. There were more than enough dents for Azura to tell the knight had been in more than one scuffle, and she doesn’t doubt that armor, sword, and master had seen its fair share of blood.

So she definitely doesn’t doubt for a second that the knight would kill her, given the chance. Anyone would -- for who would leave alive a witch of the wilds? Mankind saw witches as dangerous, cutthroat, immensely powerful. And the world of men saw that as a monstrous threat, meant to executed and burned at the stake.

Azura shivers.

The knight’s armor and sword had had enchantments upon them, too. It’d thankfully meant the bandits couldn’t steal them away, but it’d afforded Azura a good deal of complexity to unravel the magic that bound the armor and sword to their master, and finally get to work on what was needed.

Magic was only allowed when controlled by the state. So apostates like herself -- were meant to be hunted.

And Azura can’t help but think that maybe, this knight had actually set out on a quest to hunt _ her. _

So why in the world is Azura saving her?

Azura adjusts the tome in her hand, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

Because she’s stupid, maybe. Because she has some bizarre death wish, maybe.

But a voice in her heart whispers to her, bold and resolute. Just as it did so many years ago, when she’d been torn between saving herself or saving others.

_ Because it’s the right thing to do. _

Azura swallows back her fear, even though she thinks for the thousandth time that that thought will get her killed someday. She gets to work, her voice murmuring a song of spells…

* * *

 

After an entire evening and a large portion of her night spent casting a myriad of spells to patch up the wounded knight, Azura sits slumped in her chair. She’d used magic to lift the knight off the bed just a bit so she could change out the sheets, tossing the ruined pieces of cloth into the fire as more kindling. The knight’s undergarments, thankfully, weren’t as ruined as her clothes -- which Azura had had to toss as well -- and by now, the unconscious knight rested in a manageable, stable condition, at least. She breathes easier, and looks far less haggard than before.

Unfortunately, Azura’s a bit rusty with physical reconstructive healing magic; the knight will remain scarred forever, her body eternally marked with faded scars. Not quite sure of how the knight had survived such a bloodbath, Azura purses her lips as she glances at the knight’s calloused hands. When Azura had found the knight slumped unconscious against a tree, surrounded by the twenty dead bodies of bandits, Azura had been certain the knight had perished as well.

But not quite. Azura’s familiar, a brilliantly white snowy owl, had glided through the air to rest by the knight’s side, swiveling his head around and giving a soft  _ hoo.  _ Azura had taken a closer look, clapping a hand over her mouth when she had realized the knight was still barely breathing...

Pulling herself to the present, Azura rests a hand over her heart. If she’d arrived just a moment later…

Still. Despite her accomplishment, Azura feels disappointed her healing magic isn’t quite as good as it used to be -- as it had been a few years ago.

She felt regret at the fact that she hadn’t been able to completely heal the scar that had cut across one of the knight’s eyes; the eye itself was fine, thankfully, but Azura finds herself reaching out and gently tracing the thin line that cuts across the knight’s eyebrow and down to the middle of the knight’s cheek.

The knight’s really pretty, too.

Azura catches herself at that thought -- why would she be concerned about this knight’s scars, anyway? And why is she so concerned about the knight’s appearance?

She pulls her hand away, and stands up.

Despite all the benefits of magic, she’d still had to do some manual bandaging here and there, leaving behind specks of blood on her hands.

Time to get cleaned up, and find some time to rest and sleep; Azura supposes she’ll have to toss down a blanket or two in front of the fire as a makeshift bed. So as Azura settles down in front of the warm fire, she finally lets exhaustion take over her.

The knight wouldn’t be up for a while, anyway.

* * *

 

Three days pass in which the knight remained under the spell of sleep.

During that time, Azura goes about her usual duties. In winter, it mainly involved using magic to clear the snow around her modest little home, then following her familiar through the forest to find new herbs or plants to collect and study. A few times, Azura’s owl flies back to her with some herbs in its beak, and Azura offers a warm smile in return as her owl settles on her shoulder with another soft  _ hoo. _ Other times her owl returns late to her in the evening, bringing her news of the outside world; some of the things Azura learns makes her heart twinge, but she acknowledges there are some threads of fate that are outside of her control. 

In the afternoons, Azura takes the time to chop more firewood, tossing the extra logs by the front door before finally heading inside for some much needed rest. In the evenings, when Azura takes the time to practice some new spells, review some old ones, or make some new herbal remedies, she hums or sings to herself. Small tunes that her owl likes to  _ hoo _ along to, and that bring her a measure of happiness in her rather routine lifestyle.

Azura checks up on her patient every few hours, of course; either gently checking on her wounds, or carefully making sure the knight takes in some water and broth for food and drink. And each time, Azura sees the knight recover her health little by little, how her face looks just a bit fuller, how her breathing eases through the day.

When Azura finishes applying another cream across some of the knight’s more lethal cuts, she stands up and makes for a water basin in the corner of her cottage and catches her owl staring intently at her.

“Yes?”

_ “Hoo, hoo!” _ The owl flutters his wings on its perch by the door, swiveling his head towards the knight, and then back at Azura.

“I don’t know,” Azura says, biting her lip. “But I can’t just...leave her out there, either.”

_ “Hoo!” _

“...When I’m sure she’ll be alright on her own, then I’ll...just leave her somewhere in the forest, where someone might find her.”

The owl ruffles his feathers, casting a disapproving look at Azura.

“Oh? And do you have any better ideas?”

The owl blinks, then turns around on his perch, his back to her.

Azura chuckles. “That’s what I thought.”

But her owl was right. What would she do if the knight awoke before then?

Azura can’t fathom what to do in that situation. Washing her hands in the basin, she thinks of her options.

The knight awakes, then tries to kill her. That seems the most plausible.

The knight awakes, and Azura makes her go back to sleep with another spell. But then the knight would awaken again later anyway, and still try to kill her. This is also plausible.

The knight awakes, and Azura tries to explain the situation and that she’d saved the knight from the clutches of death using apostate magic and traditional witch herbal remedies. Then the knight tries to kill her for the sin of performing unregulated bizarre witchcraft magic. That seems plausible, too.

The knight awakes, and Azura runs. Using magic, she can hide in the forest; but then Azura shakes her head. The knight would only fetch more reinforcements from the nearest town and probably burn the entire forest down to find her. So the knight tries to kill her then too, in this situation.

Azura dries her hands on a towel, and then buries her face in her hands. Breathing in deeply through her nose, Azura tries her best not to think of how she’d perfectly screwed herself over trying to do the right thing.

She steps to her large work table nearby, covered in small potted plants, tomes and books and other mistrewn materials for witchcraft and wizardry. Sitting down in a chair, Azura runs a finger across the familiar wooden surface, tracing the whorls and lines of the wood.

She glances across the room at the knight, still in bed and sleeping.

Despite the conundrum Azura’s found herself in, she knows, deep in her heart, she doesn’t regret saving the knight.

_ It’d been the right thing to do. _

* * *

 

The next morning, the knight does awaken. Albeit, for a moment, and when Azura least expects it.

Azura hums to herself as she always does during her tasks, and as she undoes the dirty bandages on the knight’s arm, she doesn’t notice the knight’s expression at all.

For Corrin, half-dazed and half-conscious, blearily opens her eyes for a moment and sees an amazingly beautiful woman at her bedside. And despite all the aches and pains throughout her body, Corrin is certain in that second that she must’ve reached heaven.

“Wow,” Corrin croaks, and Azura immediately freezes, halfway through re-applying a new bandage to Corrin’s arm.

Then, ever so slowly, Azura’s gaze meets Corrin’s.

“I must be dead, because you look like an angel,” Corrin says, cracking a crooked grin.

Azura’s face goes red immediately, because a half-conscious and  _ very _ pretty knight hitting on her is the last thing she expects in a situation like this -- so, like any other person would, Azura panics.

She abruptly, and shakily, draws a symbol in the air while stuttering a quick spell.

Corrin frowns, a furrow in her brow as she tries to understand what’s happening -- but then a wave of drowsiness slams into her, and Corrin sinks back into sleep.

* * *

 

Corrin awakens once more the next day, but with more of her wits about her. As she slowly regains consciousness, she keeps her eyes closed and her breathing even, doing her best to listen and gauge the world around her. Trying not to wince as the sores and aches come across her body, Corrin figures that she is, for the most part, quite whole.

But still. She doesn’t have any idea of where she is.

Or how she ended up here in the first place.

And Corrin isn’t quite sure if the woman she’d seen yesterday had been a hallucination from the pain, or if she’d just had some really wishful thinking that a noble and beautiful woman had saved her from the clutches of death, but she does plan on figuring out exactly what happened since the battle in the forest.

So Corrin hears a voice saying softly, “...she’s better, I’ll leave her back in the forest. Then maybe someone will find her.”

_ “Hoo! Hoo!” _

Corrin has to try very hard to not make a face, because it sounds like the woman’s talking to an  _ owl? _

“I can’t possibly turn her out now. What if she’s attacked by bandits again? She doesn’t have the strength to fight another twenty of them.”

_ “Hoo. Hoo, hoo!” _

A pause.

“...I know.” Corrin hears the sound of a cup being placed on a table. “She gains more strength everyday.”

_ “Hoo. Hoo.” _

A bitter chuckle. “So my choice is either I leave her to die in the forest, or I heal her enough such that she wakes up and kills me. That’s wonderful.”

Corrin swallows, and her heart jumps in her chest. A shiver runs down her spine as she pieces together where she is -- and who she’s with.

A witch. An apostate, a mage gone rogue. No doubt about it. Who else could talk to animals?

And who else could have possibly pulled her from the brink of death? Corrin had been certain she’d be dead in no time as she had sat against the tree trunk, losing more blood by the second; no traditional means of healing could have ever saved her from how many cuts and slashes she’d taken. 

But magic could.

The witch had saved her.

Corrin’s brain goes abuzz with a multitude of thoughts.

But the only one that can coherently come to the forefront is that Corrin thinks the witch’s voice is really pretty, too.  _ Wow, I was right. Maybe she is an angel. _

Then Corrin hears a sigh. “Under normal circumstances, I’d bring her to the town nearby. But that’s asking to get burned at the stake.”

_ “Hoo!” _

“I know, I know.” A light rustling sound, like a piece of paper being turned. “I...I’ll figure something out. I was thinking of keeping her asleep until she’s better, and then wiping her memory.”

The blood in Corrin’s heart runs ice cold.  _ She...wants me to forget that I was here? _

_ She wants me to forget that she saved me? _

_ “Hoo?” _

“Think about it. Someone finds her in the middle of the forest, asks her what happened to her. If she doesn’t remember, it’ll seem like she just ran into a scuffle and hit her head. If she does remember...” The woman’s voice turns quieter. “The entire town might come for me, and then I will most certainly die.”

Corrin has to viciously fight the urge to clench her fist. She would  _ never _ do that. For how could she ever repay the woman for saving her life? Repay it with her death?

Corrin is a knight, through and through. There was no way she would ever--

_ “...Hoo.” _

“Erasing her memory is the best option I have. But…” Another pause. Then, softly, “I’ve never done it before. I’ll have to spend time studying.”

_ “Hoo.” _ The owl sounds concerned.

“I have no other choice.”

_ “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” _

Corrin hears the scrape of a chair along the wooden floor. “I didn’t have a choice then, either. I couldn’t leave her there to die.” The woman’s voice sounds more determined, and fierce.

_ “Hoo!” _

A tired sigh. “And now I’ve put myself in quite the unsolvable puzzle. My life or hers.”

Corrin thinks just as fiercely,  _ It doesn’t have to be that way. I can save us both. _

But then her heart begins to pound in her chest, for she hears footsteps coming towards her.

Corrin does everything in her power to lay as still as possible, focusing her hardfought years of training and discipline to keep her breath even.

So when Azura sits once more by Corrin’s bedside, gently picking up her wrist to check her pulse, she frowns. The knight’s pulse shouldn’t be racing like this…

Pursing her lips, Azura means to stand up and turn back to her work table, maybe to grab another tome and see if she’d missed something when casting her healing spells -- but then she abruptly feels a hand around her wrist.

The hand is gentle, loose, not at all threatening -- but to Azura, it’s a shot of adrenaline straight through her heart and she whips her head around, shock and fear written all over her face.

And Corrin sees it all.

“W-wait,” Corrin says, hoarse; clear red eyes gaze into golden ones. “D-don’t be afraid.”

Azura, is, of course, terrified.

She shakily raises a trembling hand again, to perform the same spell as before--

“W-wait! P-please, I’m not going to hurt you--”

“That’s what they all say,” Azura whispers, and the last thing Corrin sees is Azura’s fearful expression, and the last thing she thinks is that her heart aches to see someone so beautiful marred by the weight of fear.

* * *

 

The last episode has Azura shaken; she knew the sleeping spell became less effective the more it was used, and the stronger the knight became, the more she would be able to resist the spell too.

Azura was on a tight deadline, then, to figure out how to erase a person’s memory.

Which unfortunately, was incredibly difficult.

As she pores over another book at her work table, she clenches and unclenches her fist in her lap, anxiety gnawing at her gut. Mistakes in the spell were numerous, and had high probability for the inexperienced. One mistake could involve wiping the person’s entire memory -- essentially rendering the person a husk. Another could result in erasing the person’s identity, rendering them unable to recall who they were. Other mishaps could destroy entire sections of the person’s life, making them unable to recall their childhood or their teenagehood.

Azura buries her face in her hands. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

Then again. Not like being an apostate in the middle of the wilds was ever truly going to be easy.

She looks up, looking outside the window above her work table.

Maybe some fresh air would do her good.

Azura stands up, puts her cloak on and boots on, and then steps towards the door. Then she casts a glance at the knight on her bed.

Still sleeping. Alright.

Azura gently opens the door; she’d already let out her owl in the early morning, allowing him to explore the forest as he pleased. Instinctively humming to herself, Azura listens to the sounds of the forest and feels a little more at ease.

The soft brush of the winter breeze -- a little chilly, and it nips at her nose. Then the quiet crunch of her boots as she steps across the layer of snow at her feet. She idly thinks that maybe she’ll spend some time clearing the snow around her home.

Azura has always liked the forest for its peace and serenity. It not only shielded her but provided her comfort even on her loneliest days.

Humming another sweet little tune, Azura draws a symbol in the air, and a flurry of snow shoots from the ground, casting snowflakes in the air around Azura as the snow does a loop around her.

_ Time to get to work. _

* * *

 

Corrin lies still for a long time that morning; she’d peeked, a few times, to see the woman sitting at her desk, her nose buried in a book.

Then, when the woman leaves, she leaves the door open just a tad -- just enough for Corrin to taste a little bit of the winter air on her tongue.

Corrin sits up, and winces. She’d recovered for the most part, but some of the more deeper gashes across her chest still spark a flare of pain.

As quietly as possible, Corrin very, very slowly puts a foot on the floor. Silently praying to every god in existence that the floorboards wouldn’t creak, Corrin cautiously stands up. Her eyes glued to the door, Corrin slowly makes her way over to the woman’s work table.

When no signs of danger arrive, Corrin bends over the tome, squinting at the black text. The spell to erase memory is written in a language that Corrin vaguely recalls studying once back at the training academy, and she does her best to focus and read as much as she can.

_ No wonder she’s frustrated. This spell is meant for high level mages alone. And even then it’s still risky. _

Corrin glances behind her once more at the door, and still sees no sign of the woman returning anytime soon. Then her gaze flickers to her sword and armor placed by the door. Both were in peak condition, and Corrin’s eyes widen for a second.

Forgetting about the book, Corrin tiptoes over to her armor and holds her breath as she kneels down next to it.

The woman had fixed the dents in her armor. It now looked as new as the day the academy’s blacksmith had forged it all for her.

And as if Corrin couldn’t be even more convinced that the woman is definitely an angel in disguise as a rogue mage, she hears a lovely voice through the crack in the door.

Corrin can’t help it. She pulls the door open a little wider, squinting in the sudden flare of bright sunlight that hits her eyes.

And, of course, the breathtaking sight of her savior in the middle of a swirl of snowflakes cast about her in rings. And in almost a dance, the woman does a graceful arc of her arm, and the snowflakes follow the movement in a flurry of white before dissipating into the air and clearing the ground of snow.

Corrin feels wonder, and awe. She’s never seen magic like this. It’s enchanting, in more ways than one.

But when Azura does a smooth pirouette and sees the knight standing open-mouthed in the doorway that the forest suddenly goes deathly quiet.

Their gazes meet.

The blood in Azura’s heart runs colder than the snow around her, for her magic had abruptly ended the second she’d realized she had an audience.

Corrin blurts out her thoughts immediately. “Y-you’re really pretty! A-and I’m Corrin!”

Azura says nothing, clutching her cloak more tightly about her as she stares, wide-eyed.

“U-um,” Corrin says, and she takes a step forward, ignoring how her bare foot touches the cold ground as she tries to pull together  _ any  _ kind of sane thought in her brain.

She realizes her mistake instantly when Azura quickly takes a step back; and she sees how Azura’s gaze flickers to the edge of the doorway.

Corrin glances behind her, to where her sword rests by the door.

Then she looks up in time to see fear flash across Azura’s eyes.

“I’m not going to hurt you--”

But like a frightened rabbit, Azura whips around and bolts away into the forest.

_ “W-wait! _ Wait, please!”

So Corrin runs after her, freezing winter air filling her lungs as she too sprints into the forest. She keeps up for a good while, her gaze fixed on Azura’s fast-retreating back as the two dodge and run through the trees, their bare branches weighted down with snow; more than once, Azura snaps a branch above her to slow Corrin down, but when she glances behind her she sees the knight keeping pace with her, shouting all the while,  _ “Stop! _ Please, wait!”

_ What is she made of?! How can she keep up?!  _ Azura’s brain contains a tumult and storm of panicked thoughts.

Azura doesn’t want to do it, because slamming the final nail on her own coffin is the last thing she wants to do, but it’s the only choice she has.

As she sprints through the forest, her cloak billowing out behind her and Corrin just fifteen paces behind, Azura covers her mouth with her hands and pants a spell, praying to all the gods it’ll work.

And to Corrin, one second Azura is in front of her -- the next, she isn’t.

Even her footprints disappear from the snow-covered ground, and as Corrin skids to a stop, breathing hard, she whips her head around -- but only forest remains around her, evergreens stockstill with their branches weighed down with fresh, white snow.

_ She used magic. But...she still has to be here. _

With her heart pounding in her chest and her face flushed red, Corrin slows her breathing and listens as hard as she can in the sudden silence of the forest.

A call of a bird, from far away. But nothing else.

Corrin walks over to where she’d seen Azura last, bending down in the snow and touching it, as if that will somehow make the witch appear once more.

She winces at the flare of pain in her chest, grimacing and pressing a hand over the bandages around her midriff; then, she realizes what she’s wearing.

Virtually nothing, aside from bandages, her bra, and underwear. Barefoot, too.

Corrin straightens up, noticing the new stain of red on the bandages around her torso. She must’ve reopened the more lethal wounds. When Corrin exhales, her breath appears, a white fog amidst the chilly air. The tips of her fingers and toes feel a cold frost, and a numb tingling.

Just like her winter training, from so long ago. Even down to how her instructors had stripped her of her shoes.

But as much as Corrin had learned from that experience and how to survive in the unforgiving winter cold, Corrin had also learned one other thing from her time at the academy -- diplomacy and honor.

“I-I know you’re still out there!” Corrin calls out, turning on the spot and trying to see the unseen. “P-please! I just want to talk to you!”

Silence.

“I know you don’t trust me, and I understand why you would,” Corrin continues, gritting her teeth as a shiver runs through her body. “B-but please. I swear, on my life, I won’t hurt you. I swear!”

Again, Corrin hears nothing. She furiously rubs her hands together. “Y-you saved me, I know you did. I owe you my life.”

She hears a branch snapping behind her, and Corrin whips her head around -- but alas, it’s only a branch finally caving underneath the weight of its snow.

But again, once more, Corrin hears no response. She grits her chattering teeth, and determination sparks in her red eyes.

“Please,” Corrin says again, and her voice cracks. “I’ll repay you in any way I can. Just...please talk to me.” She puts everything she has into her last few words, every bit of emotion and determination she can--

But then a vulnerable voice behind her says, “I’m sorry.”

Corrin turns around just in time to see the witch’s pained expression, a hand in the air, and then she blacks out.

\---

Corrin awakes eventually, and her head throbs with a slight headache. Pressing a hand to her temple and slowly sitting up, Corrin glances around to see that she is, once again, back at the witch’s cottage and in the bed once more. Scrunching a hand up in the sheets beneath her, Corrin sees the witch sitting across the room from her, in her chair at her work table, wearing nothing more than a simple white dress. Corrin still thinks she looks beautiful.

By the door, the owl perches on its stand, swiveling its head around at her, and then back to Azura.

And Azura meets Corrin’s eye, but she looks away just as quickly, hesitation flashing across her face.

“You...said your name was Corrin,” Azura says softly.

Corrin nods, but then regrets it when she feels a sharp poke in her skull.

“...A friend of mine told me about you,” Azura continues, and she fiddles with the hem of her sleeve. “You’re one of the royal knights. Chosen by the king and queen personally, you’re widely regarded as...one of the best.”

Corrin can’t help but blush a little. Staring at her feet, Corrin shrugs and says, “I-I’m not  _ the _ best--”

“Not everyone could handle a fight that’s twenty versus one,” Azura says, and a change in her tone makes Corrin look up. Azura’s gaze has a hardened edge to it. “And not everyone would go into  _ this  _ forest, alone.”

Corrin swallows, her heart pounding in her chest.

“I’ve heard of the other royal knights. And the king and queen have a vendetta against apostates. And you all follow their will.” Azura says, blunt. “You came here to  _ hunt.” _

Corrin flinches at the last word, for the coldness in the witch’s voice sends a shiver down her spine. Her voice cracks as she says, “N-not to hunt. To just find you.”

“To kill me.”

“N-no!” Corrin tries to stand, and presses a hand to her head as she winces. “N-no, not to do that, I swear--”

“You swore an oath to the kingdom, too. I know that much.”

“P-please listen,” Corrin says, an edge of desperation in her voice as she steadies herself. She has no idea how long she’s been out cold, but she sees her armor and sword next to the witch, on the table -- away from herself. “The town nearby, I know what happened a few years ago. I know it was you.”

Something changes in the air between them; either the tone of her voice or the content of her words, but the room seems to become a bit smaller. The owl on his perch goes stockstill and silent, going almost invisible as his eyes dart from Azura to Corrin and back.

Azura stiffens, clenching her fist in her lap.

“There was an influenza. Almost everyone in the town was hit by it. And then, one day, somehow everyone was cured.”

Now it’s Azura’s turn to shift her gaze away.

“The townspeople call it a miracle, the work of God or something. But I know better.”

Azura’s heart pounds in her chest. Yet another one of her acts of altruism turning around to bite her in the ass.

“The villagers said the water was holy water, that it could cure any disease,” Corrin says. “But there was a little girl back there -- she said she saw someone by the town’s well.”

The whites of Azura’s knuckles show as her fist tightens, her nails digging into her skin.

“Someone so beautiful, she thought she was seeing a goddess,” Corrin says, a little breathless as she takes a step closer to the witch -- Azura doesn’t move, her shoulders hunched and her gaze averted. “She didn’t tell anyone else because she thought her friends would make fun of her.”

Azura recalls the night she’d made the risky excursion out into the village; she hadn’t been able to bear the thought then of entire families ripped asunder from illness. She’d thought, back then, she’d been well-disguised enough...She’d had to undo her invisibility spell for a moment, so she could see with what little moonlight there was and toss the necessary herbs and powders into the well.

But she hadn’t been careful enough. And it’d led her to this.

But still, to this day, Azura doesn’t regret it. If it’d meant saving them all...

Corrin swallows. “But she told me. She wanted me to find you, too. To thank you.”

Azura meets Corrin’s gaze then. “So why did  _ you  _ want to find me? If not to kill me. To imprison me? Bring me before the king?”

“No.” Corrin takes another tentative step towards her. “T-to ask you for your help.”

“My...my  _ help?” _

“I don’t believe all apostates are bad,” Corrin says, and she knows how lame and childish she sounds, but it’s the truth that resounds deeply in her heart. “I know you aren’t.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know you’re good. I know you could’ve left me out there to die --  _ twice -- _ but you didn’t. I know you’ve saved probably dozens, if not hundreds, of people with your magic.”

Azura says nothing, only biting her lip. Nothing Corrin is saying is wrong in anyway.

“Before you settled down here,” Corrin says, pushing the boundaries between them a little further. “You traveled the country, didn’t you? During the war, you were healing wounded soldiers. From either side.”

To hear someone call her out on her actions, for her inability to be selfish and turn away a suffering soul, makes Azura feel two things at once. Relief at someone acknowledging her actions but also fear that someone had recognized and followed her trail well enough to find her here.

“...You’ve done your research,” Azura whispers. The knights truly were the best of the best -- not only in body but in mind. Corrin is smarter than Azura takes her for. “I...I’m not one to leave the the suffering alone. As much as your masters like to believe apostates and witches are incapable of compassion, not all of us are like that.”

“I know! I know that!” Corrin bursts out, and Azura blinks at her sudden outburst. “That’s why I w-want to ask you for your help!”

“Help to do  _ what?” _

“To change everyone’s minds about you!” Corrin says, throwing her hands out. “If you didn’t have to hide like this, hundreds of people could be saved! Thousands!”

“And thousands more would call for my head,” Azura shoots back. “Men can’t understand magic, and most fear that which they don’t understand.”

“Then help them,” Corrin says; with her next step, she’s only two paces away from Azura. “You can help them learn! You can change things!”

There’s so much hope in Corrin’s voice it makes Azura’s heart twist inside her chest; for once, a long time ago, she’d been just as naive and hopeful about the world. But reality had taught her a lesson, cruel and unforgiving, and she hadn’t forgotten since then how rogue mages were treated by society at large.

But Corrin seizes her chance, seeing the hesitation in Azura’s face; Corrin kneels before her, clad in nothing but her bandages and underwear and messy silver hair, but she presses a fist over her heart and says, “I swear to you, on my honor as a knight, I will defend you and protect you -- my life is yours.”

Azura feels the threads of magic in the air begin to shift, and in panic she says, “W-wait, what--”

Corrin draws a symbol in the air too, her family’s crest -- only to be used for solemn oaths and unbreakable promises, never meant to be undone.

“W-what did you just do?” Azura says, her heart pounding as she looks down on Corrin’s resolute expression. “Th-that was--”

“I owe you my life,” Corrin says simply. “You saved me. The only way I can repay you is if my life is yours.”

Azura stands up, pressing a hand over her pounding heart. 

There was no way the knight had just bound a promise with magic -- if Corrin ever went back on her word, there was no telling what kind of misfortune would befall her. Best case, death. Worst case, a life with a million curses.

“Y-you don’t even know my name--”

“I don’t need to to know that you’re someone worth serving.”

“Th-that’s not an excuse!” She’d thought talking to the knight would’ve been an argument in trying to convince the knight not to kill her or imprison her -- instead their conversation had veered off the rails and off a cliff. “Y-you’re unbelievable--”

Corrin straightens up as well, her expression serious. “I don’t have any right to ask you to risk your life, I know. I don’t have any right to ask you to go out there and change everyone’s mind when I know that a lot of people out there would kill you on sight.” 

Corrin presses a fist over her heart again. “So if you want to stay here, then on my honor as a knight, I will protect this forest and everything in it, so you can live in peace. No one will ever bother you, no one will come for you, and you don’t have to worry about any other knights coming to find you.”

As Azura tries to process all of this at once, Corrin says softly, “I know you wanted to...erase my memory of you. But...I just want to ask that you don’t. I really mean it. I’ll protect you. If you want to live here, I’ll leave and make sure nothing happens to you.” Corrin takes a deep breath. “And I swear I won’t tell anyone about you. I’ll defend this entire forest myself if I have to.”

Azura doesn’t doubt for a second that Corrin very much could indeed protect this entire forest with her bare hands, but she presses a trembling hand to her head. This is so  _ much _ at once. And she now knows for sure that Corrin isn’t lying when she says that she truly would defend and protect her.

It dawns on her right then, that if Corrin were willing to go this far for her, then Corrin well and truly is serious and adamant on changing the world.

They’re standing in front of each other now. Azura has to look up to meet Corrin’s gaze.

“...But why? Why did you go so far to find  _ me?” _

“You have no idea of how many people you’ve saved, do you?” Corrin asks. She cracks a wry smile. “As much as you like to believe that everyone out there hates you, not all of us are like that. We can feel compassion too.”

Azura can’t help but give a huff of amusement at that. She presses a hand to her head as she bunches a fist in the skirt of her dress; this all just seems so  _ unbelievable.  _ “I’m…”

“There are other people, you know. Other than me,” Corrin adds. “Like the people you saved. Some of the soldiers remember you. They want to thank you too.”

“I wish I’d learned how to erase a person’s memory earlier,” Azura says, albeit the humor in her voice falls flat. “I...had no idea I’d left such a mark.”

“But you’re so beautiful. How could anyone forget you?”

Azura buries her face in her hands then, for hearing Corrin’s genuine honesty once more catches her by surprise. “You’re...quite the flatterer.”

Corrin brightens a little, and Azura can’t help but give a chuckle of her own as she crosses her arms. But then Corrin’s face turns just a tad bit serious again, and she asks, “But...really. If you want to stay here, I understand. But…” She bites her lip. “If...you’d really come with me, I’d protect you then too. No one will hurt you if you’re with me.”

“And...we would what? Do magic shows for people in the town square?” Azura asks dryly.

“No. Help people in need,” Corrin says, eyes filled with determination. “Heal the sick. Enlighten the ignorant. Make the world a better place.”

It all sounded so bright and hopeful. Azura’s heart can’t help but feel drawn to Corrin’s words, like a moth to a light in darkness.

But hesitation does come across Azura then, and she once more bunches up the front of the skirt of her dress. To help those in need -- that idea called to her. She looks up into Corrin’s noble face once more, and sees a firm and resolute gaze looking back at her. Not a trace of doubt could be found in Corrin’s expression, only honor and honesty.

Azura knows then that Corrin means every word she says.

And just for the briefest second, a spark of hope comes to life in Azura’s heart.

And Corrin at that second, holds her hand out in front of her, offering it; she smiles, good and genuine.

It takes Azura a moment, but she unfolds her arms and ever so slowly and hesitantly, places her hand in Corrin’s.

“My name,” Azura says, a little breathless. “My name is Azura.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” Corrin says, and when she beams with a happy grin, Azura thinks of sunlight. “An honor to meet you and be with you, Lady Azura.” Corrin lifts Azura’s hand in her own to press a light kiss to her knuckles, and Azura blushes -- she’s never had a knight greet her before.

Well, she’s never had a knight as a companion before, either.

“Lady Azura, if I could ask you one extra thing,” Corrin says, and Azura blinks.

“What is it?”

“Could I have some clothes?”

At that moment, Azura’s owl gives a little  _ hoo _ as a chuckle, and the two look over at him, finally remembering that he’s there; Azura blushes again, taking her hand from Corrin’s and hastily turning to her work table. “O-of course, here, you can wear your armor…”

This wasn’t quite the way Azura was expecting to begin a new period of her life, but for the first time in a long time, she feels hope.

When she and Corrin set out a few days later, Corrin’s golden sword at her hip and Azura in clothes fit for travel, she takes Corrin’s hand once more as they step out of the cottage. And Corrin’s hand, calloused and solid and warm, slightly eases the anxiety in her heart, and though she knows the journey she’s about to embark on with Corrin will not be an easy one, she knows one thing for certain.

_ It’s the right thing to do. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> broke: why do u always make corrin azura's knight  
> woke: ron swanson voice because i do what i want fuc u !!!
> 
> in all honestly...i love...corrin being azura's knight...i'm such a sucker for knight aus lmao anD SINCE I HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE MY AUS COME TRUE I'M GONNA DO WHAT I WANT !!! I WILL FULFILL MY OWN THIRST in this azurrin desert bc god there's like nothing here anymore lmao i gotta COOK THE FOOD AND SET THE TABLE AND EAT HERE BY MYSELF LMAO
> 
> I have to admit by the end of this I really really like this idea a lot and I would honestly love to explore more of this au in the future...i have so many ideas for it already b/c can you imagine them falling in love but then a spell backfires and azura loses her memory of corrin LIKE OHHHH THE ANGST SIGN ME UP OOOHHHHH MY GOSHHHHH but also i love...the idea of them traveling everywhere together...doing good for the world...making out with ur really hot knight girlfriend underneath the stars...aw nice...there's just so much potential for this world and i would love to see more of it someday
> 
> also i just realized in like half my fics corrin is half naked i'm sorry lmao but also i will give azura every opportunity to appreciate just how hot her girlfriend is it's what azura deserves


	4. Loyalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ENGAGE MOM MODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> downs two shots of vodka throws head back and laughs will i ever stop making corrin azura's knight more at 7  
> also the answer is probably not lmAOOOOO
> 
> thank you so much for reading you guys !!

The king and queen of Valla bowed before the audience gathered in the great hall of the castle, all to the sound of applause and cheers. The anniversary of their victory and unification of four states into a single, strongly united kingdom had afforded the royla court a chance to celebrate and enjoy a reprieve from the daily tasks of keeping an entire country safe and functioning.

For no one knew better than the king and queen the toils of war; it had torn the lands asunder, until the two of them had gathered their loyalest friends and allies under one banner and lead them all to peace and prosperity.

And at the king and queen’s side, stood their longtime friends, the leaders of the manakete nation -- Mikoto and Anankos. The king and queen finally had the chance to exchange warm embraces and bright smiles with their manakete friends as the crowds in the hall drifted and mingled about towards the bountiful feasts on tables aligned against the walls.

As the king and Anankos went off to fetch food for their party, Queen Arete and Mikoto had the chance to get around to introducing their children; it’d been a long time coming, ever since the two had, in their routine exchange of letters, told the other of their newborn daughter.

Now, it was only expected that the child of the king and the child of the king’s right hand man come to meet together in the royal hall. An act of political symbolism, in its own right, but also a moment of excitement for both Arete and Mikoto as simply friends.

Arete made a gesture, and servants deliver a year-old princess into Arete’s arms, her golden eyes wide with bewilderment at the hustle and bustle of the great hall and its numerous dignitaries and peoples. The little princess, small and shy in her white and gold-accented little dress, buried her head in the crook of her mother’s neck, her tiny fists gripping the front of her mother’s dress.

At the same time, Mikoto took her own one year old daughter from the arms of another servant, and the little manakete girl blinked as she turned her head in every direction, curious and inquisitive. She bobbed up and down in her mother’s arms, unable to keep still and full of energy.

“Corrin, this is Queen Mikoto, and Princess Azura. Say hello, dear,” Mikoto said, and little Corrin, with her short bob of silver hair and in a black and indigo dress of her own, blinked again at the queen and her daughter. 

She ended up saying, “Wowo,” before turning her head back to the crowds; Mikoto considered that close enough and Arete got a good laugh out of it.

“She truly can’t keep still,” Arete chuckled.

“Corrin has a good deal of pent up energy.”

“Azura wouldn’t mind having some of that energy, honestly,” Arete said, rolling her eyes. She shifts her arms, reaching a hand up to rub Azura’s back. “Honey, come on. It’s Mikoto and Corrin, your friends. Say hello.”

Azura peeked out for a beat, glancing at Mikoto and Corrin, before lifting her hand just slightly enough to give a tiny wave before she went back into hiding.

“Aw, she’s shy,” Mikoto said affectionately as Arete frowned.

“She’s quite fine on her own, or when she’s with us or her caretakers,” Arete sighed. “It just seems with crowds or new people, she tends to...draw in, a little.”

“I’m not offended at all, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Mikoto had to adjust her arms a little to prevent Corrin from climbing up over her shoulder to get a higher view, and Corrin gave a little huff as she tugged on Mikoto’s dress.

“Wa,” was all she said.

“No, Corrin, now’s the time to meet your new friend, Azura.”

“Perhaps Corrin can help Azura a little,” Arete said, and she disentangled Azura’s fists from her dress and bent down, placing Azura on the floor and allowing her daughter to stand on her own -- Azura did, for a split second, before she attached onto Arete’s leg and hid behind it.

“Oh, c’mon honey, don’t be so scared, they’re very nice,” Arete said, placing a hand on top of Azura’s head; she glanced up at her mother, then back at Mikoto and Corrin, but buried her face in Arete’s calf once more.

“Corrin can be a bit much at times, but maybe she can help,” Mikoto mused, and she too set Corrin on the floor; the little girl wobbled for a second, unsteady, her red eyes blinking owlishly up at her mother in disbelief at being robbed of her high perch before she began to waddle away off into the main part of the hall.

“No, no, Corrin, this way.” Mikoto hurriedly picked Corrin up and turned her back in Arete and Azura’s direction, helpfully pointing the way. “There, Corrin. Go say hello to Azura.”

Corrin’s attention span allowed her at least a few seconds to see Azura peeking out from behind her mother’s leg; excitement abruptly appeared on Corrin’s face and she made a beeline straight for Azura, her arms held out for a hug.

Of course, Azura is startled and she hastily switches her hiding place to her mother’s other leg; the two children play a game of going in circles around Arete’s feet, with Azura trying to avoid the oncoming eager excited little ball of energy that was Corrin.

And little Corrin, with no sense of object permanence, stopped after a beat, blinking and turning her head around this way and that as she stood behind Arete, trying to figure out where her newfound friend was meant to be; Azura, in a spark of brightness, had opted to hide behind Mikoto, throwing Corrin for a loop.

“Ooh, she’s quite smart,” Mikoto chuckled as she and Arete watched Corrin turn in circles with a confused expression. “Takes after you, I see.”

Arete laughed, brushing back her short blue hair. “I’m eager as well to see how she does in formal study. For now, it seems as though she’s smart enough to outwit your daughter.”

“Hey, hey!” Mikoto said, giving Arete a playful, gentle shove on the shoulder. “I’m sure Corrin will be able to keep up with her in time. We’ll see as the years go by.”

At that moment, Corrin plopped herself down onto the floor, tears forming in her red eyes and she began to cry; Arete went to try and pick her up, but Mikoto quickly stopped her, pointing at Azura by her feet.

Azura had peeked around when she’d heard the first of Corrin’s wails; her golden eyes went wide as she saw Corrin sniffling on the floor, her little fists rubbing at her eyes as she cried at the sudden loss of her new friend.

Then Azura went over to Corrin, her tiny hands hesitantly bunching up the skirt of her little dress, but she nonetheless sat down in front of Corrin too.

Then, in an action that caught Corrin, Arete, and Mikoto by surprise, Azura reached out and wiped away some tears on Corrin’s cheek, her small palm brushing Corrin’s tear-stained cheeks.

Corrin stared, wide-eyed at Azura, in disbelief; then her demeanor did a complete one eighty as she suddenly beamed with happiness as Azura raised her other hand to wipe Corrin’s other cheek free of tears.

Azura did shrink in a little, caught by surprise at Corrin’s sudden mood change; but nonetheless, she stayed with Corrin, using her sleeves to dry Corrin’s cheeks as Corrin grinned with joy. At one point, the hem of Azura’s sleeve brushed Corrin’s nose -- and Corrin sneezed, and with tiny bursts of blue flame, a tail appeared underneath her own dress as miniature, silver antlers appeared around her ears.

Azura flinched away at that, her expression completely shocked by the sudden appearance of the unexpected; but not one to be deterred now that she’d gotten this far with her new friend, Azura held her ground, albeit she pulled her hands back to herself.

“Ah, Corrin’s still getting a hang of...controlling her dragon powers,” Mikoto said; this time, as she bent down to pick Corrin up, Arete was the one who stopped her.

“No, no, let’s see how Azura handles this.”

Corrin, of course, in all her eagerness and happiness at making a new friend, wagged her tail and beamed at Azura, oblivious to her partial transformation.

It took Azura a moment, in which she looked small and hesitant and unsure, but she very slowly reached a hand out once more -- and Corrin glanced at it, before offering a smile and leaning her head forward, resting her cheek in Azura’s palm.

Corrin’s tail wagged even more and the little manakete nuzzled into Azura’s palm, happy and content.

And Azura, her eyes wide, scooted a little closer, marveling at Corrin’s simple eagerness and excitement.

“It’s a start, at least,” Arete said softly, and Mikoto nodded in agreement.

“And I know our lives are wrought with politics, but I...had a favor to ask of you,” Mikoto said hesitantly, and Arete raised her eyebrows.

“You know you can ask me for anything. What is it?”

“I...was hoping that Corrin could be Azura’s knight, when they’re both older.”

Arete’s eyebrows couldn’t go any higher up into her blue bangs. “Azura’s knight? You want to decide something like that this early?”

“Anankos and I have been talking about it lately,” Mikoto said, and the two watched Corrin laugh as Azura pressed her hands on either side of Corrin’s cheeks. “It would be one way to cement our loyalty in the eyes of the people--”

“Mikoto, please, after everything you’ve done for us, I’m sure by now the people believe--”

“Not all of them, Arete,” Mikoto said, a hint of sadness in her voice. “We may have helped you win the war, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t resentment between manaketes and humans.”

Arete pursed her lips, for as much as she didn’t want to admit it, Mikoto was right. “But to promise your daughter to ours? Her life--”

“We intend for Corrin to be a liaison between us and the royal court,” Mikoto said quickly. “There will be a time when she’ll have to succeed the both of us, and lead the rest of our people. If she gets a taste of court life early, then she’ll be better equipped to understand the politics of these lands.”

“And that could be done if Corrin is Azura’s knight, I see,” Arete sighed, and she raised a finger to her chin as thought on it. “And politics-wise, for your people, it means another definitive figure in court. And for humans, it could be a stepping stone to showing that our two peoples can live in peace together.”

“Exactly,” Mikoto said. “I know that you’re thinking children aren’t pawns, and I most certainly agree wholeheartedly. But in our positions--”

“Almost anything we do could be taken from a politics standpoint, I quite understand,” Arete said, and just then they saw that Corrin had sat herself as close as possible next to Azura, beaming as her tail wagged so fast, it was almost a blur. “At the same time, I think it would do Azura some good to have someone her age around the castle. And I must be honest, I would love to see them both become friends.”

“I think they’d do quite well together,” Mikoto chuckled as Azura tentatively touched the side of Corrin’s antler. “Look at them now, even.”

“And I also have to admit it’d give me a sense of security to have someone we trusted at Azura’s side, protecting her,” Arete said, tapping her finger against her chin again as she thought over Mikoto’s proposal. Sighing and crossing her arms, she then said, “It’s not a bad idea. And I don’t disagree.”

“Talk it over with your husband, but know that we will support you the best we can.” Mikoto said, and she gave Arete a bow as she added, “But at least allow Corrin time in the court. We ask for just that much, if not to be Azura’s knight.”

Scoffing, Arete waved her hand. “Oh, stop with all that formal bowing. And I’m sure he’ll say yes. I quite like the idea of Azura having Corrin as her knight and confidante…”

As the night continued on and the royal court flourished with merriment and cheer, machinations were at work for the future of the newly formed kingdom. And Azura and Corrin, although they were small and young and uncomprehending of what awaited them, would one day face their future together. They would be bound by not only fate and destiny but by oaths of loyalty and honor...and someday, by the unbreakable bond of love.

But for now, they were small and young, and all the other knew of each other was their names. And for Corrin, all she could think was that she quite liked Azura and her pretty white dress and her soft hand. And for Azura, all she knew was that despite Corrin’s bizarre appearance, she liked her newfound friend and her happy grin.

It was a start, for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok but for real i jus really like that idea lmao but i also like the idea of baby!corrin and baby!azura interacting bc u know corrin’s just a big crybaby and she’s a bit dumb but she tries  
> Me: comes up with literally every au possible and never puts azurrin in their actual fates universe
> 
> also...baby corrin and baby azura taking naps together...holding hands like otters...god...fuck me up  
> also i'm a sucker for childhood friends turned lovers too SO obviously I HAD TO DO FOR THE OTP


	5. Dragonstone / Pendant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok like but where did azura get the dragonstone lmao like why is there so many plotholes in fates lmao

“So...Are...Are you a dragon, too?” Corrin asks one day, when the two are seated by the edge of the lake in the Deeprealms, taking a welcome reprieve after a long week of hard fought battles.

Azura laughs, a light, breathless sound that makes Corrin’s heart do a little jump. “What makes you think that?”

“W-well, um,” Corrin says as she scrunches up the bottom of her loose shirt, and she doesn’t quite know where to look when she realizes just how stupid her question sounds. “I mean...you...had the dragonstone with you when I…” Corrin does a stiff shrug. “And...you have that pendant on your neck, too, that’s also blue, so--”

“Oh, I see,” Azura says, and Corrin bites her lip as she watches Azura finish braiding the end of her long hair. “I see why you ask, but no, Corrin, I’m not a dragon either.”

“So...if you’re not a dragon, then...why did you have a dragonstone?”

Azura looks pensive, then, and her golden eyes seem to be looking at something far away, deep into the lake. “You...could say it’s been passed down, through my family.”

Corrin makes a face, for she can’t recall at all whether Xander or Camilla ever told her about dragonstones -- and Garon most certainly didn’t mention any, either. So the most logical conclusion seems to be…

“So...Your mother gave you the dragonstone?” Corrin asks, and she bites her tongue, because maybe mentioning dead parents isn’t the most smartest of ideas when she’s trying to have a good time relaxing with Azura.

A shadow crosses Azura’s face, one with a hint of sorrow. “In a manner of speaking, yes. She gave me this pendant, too,” she says softly; her delicate hand touches the golden pendant, and it glistens, briefly, in the afternoon sun.

“It’s...really pretty,” Corrin says tentatively.

Azura manages to give her a small smile at that, although it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thank you, Corrin.”

Corrin wants to ask more questions, but she holds her tongue and swallows back her curiosity; now doesn’t seem like the time or place to ask Azura what her power was, how her voice could bring a second wind to an entire army, or how that pendant would always glow when she sang. 

Corrin has  _ some _ tact, as much as Leo liked to tease her that she didn’t.

A silence settles between the two of them, and it offers Corrin the chance to mull over her own thoughts once more over her own dragonstone; she tugs it out from the pocket of her shorts, noting that by now, its weight had become familiar, its presence comforting.

Like...Azura, in a way.

On the battlefield, despite the chaos and cacophony of warriors and weapons clashing together, Corrin never faltered when Azura was at her side, lance and blade swinging through every foe in a lethal dance. Even if they hadn’t known each other for long, Corrin felt as though Azura understood her on a level that no one else ever really did.

Casting her gaze on the dragonstone in her hands, Corrin idly rubs a thumb over its surface. She tilts it, just slightly, and watches the sun catch the fractals within, reflecting a mirror of light inside of it that casts faded sunbeams across her lap.

A thought crosses her mind.

“Um, Azura?”

“Hm?”

Corrin glances over to see Azura twining together several flowers in her lap. “Um...I don’t think I ever really said this to you, but, thank you.”

Azura blinks, caught by surprise. “For what?”

“For…” There’s so much to thank her for, Corrin’s not quite sure all the time in a day would be enough to say it all. “For this.” She lifts the dragonstone a little. “For sticking with me. Through all of this.” She runs a hand through her hair, sighing and feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. “Thank you.”

Corrin is startled when Azura’s hand rests over her own; she looks up to see Azura next to her, her expression gentle, but with a determined resolve in her eyes.

“I’m here for you, Corrin. I promised I’d be by your side, and I meant it.”

That makes Corrin feel a certain way, and her heart does that little jump again. Her throat dry, all Corrin can stammer is, “Th-thank you.”

Azura’s so close. And her hand is so warm, and soft.

Maybe it was just some really,  _ really _ wishful thinking on her part, but for a split second, Corrin thinks she sees Azura lean in a little.

But maybe Azura sees something in Corrin’s expression -- hesitation, surprise -- and she pulls her hand away, tearing her gaze from Corrin’s as she says, “We...we should probably get back to the others.”

“Oh. Um. Yeah.”

Corrin ends up following Azura through the trees and back to the castle, and she clutches her dragonstone in one hand as the other clenches and unclenches at her side.

Her heart pounds rapidly in her chest, but Corrin summons the courage to blurt out, “Can I hold your hand, Azura?”

Her voice is a little too high, like maybe two octaves too high and Corrin winces a little at how childish she sounds -- but Azura pauses and turns around, surprised for just a second.

And reading Azura is always difficult, for her stoic expression hid so much; but for once, Corrin knows she sees a blush across Azura’s cheeks.

But then Azura says, softly, “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Corrin grins at her, and she beams when Azura’s hand slides next to her own, a warm and comforting presence that brings Corrin a sense of peace.

And what Corrin doesn’t know then, but what she will know later in their future, is that her brilliant smile and happy laugh is what takes Azura’s breath away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u all for all the comments!! i do mean to reply to u all eventually i'm just really exhausted from work and burnt out rn ;; but i really do appreciate all of you guys' support ;; im glad you all still even care abotu azurrin 3 years after it came out lmao


	6. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my apologies I would've uploaded this at the usual midnight time but I fell asleep early b/c i'm burnt out from work lmao
> 
> anyway!! it's almost the end of azurrin week but i can assure you guys my last prompt is really long ;-; i also went overboard with it too lmao  
> tysm for all your support ;-; ! i'm glad,, people still like azurrin,, esp f!azurrin lmao

When the both of them hear a startled crying from the other room, Azura sighs, pressing herself closer to Corrin’s back and mumbling into her shoulder, “Love, Shigure’s awake.”

Corrin doesn’t move and only says in return, “He’s your son before dawn.”

When Azura only tightens her arms around Corrin’s torso, Corrin says, “I’ll make breakfast if you get him.”

Azura sighs once more. And then she gets up out of bed.

As she pushes her tangled hair out of her face and stumbles blindly in the dimness of their bedroom to the doorway, she accidentally hits the light switch on the wall; momentarily blinded, Azura hears Corrin groan behind her.

_ “Babe!” _

“Sorry, love,” Azura says, stifling a yawn with her hand as she hastily switches the light off before stepping out of their bedroom and into the hallway.

She uses her hand to guide herself in the darkness, feeling the length of the wall before she gets to the doorway of Shigure’s room. When she steps inside, she sees Shigure in the dim moonlight of the window, standing small and forlorn in his crib, his tearful expression wrought with distress. Heaving another sigh, Azura crosses the room to him, his golden eyes anxiously gazing upon her as he holds out his arms, his tiny hands reaching towards her already.

“Oh, Shigure,” Azura says, and she picks him up out of his crib; immediately, Shigure wraps his arms around her neck, burying his face in her shoulder as he sniffles.

“Hm? Did you have a nightmare?” Azura says softly, and Shigure only responds with a little whimper.

“You and Corrin, both,” Azura murmurs, gently rubbing her hand up and down Shigure’s back.

Shigure only snuggles closer, his little fists balling up the collar of Azura’s nightdress.

Azura moves towards the window, the gentle moonlight pouring in through its glass panes, marking the night with clear skies. As she leans against the windowsill, Shigure peeks out for a moment, his golden eyes wide as he too stares out into the night.

What they see is the same as always; the front yard, bathed in the silver gray light of the moon; there at the corner, the same old tree that stood resolutely as the guardian of their home. Then, the little path that led from their front door to the sidewalk, and then out to the street. Azura and Shigure spot a few fireflies hovering around, their tiny little glow a miniscule speck against the darkened grass beneath. The rest of the neighborhood sits in silence peace, no sound to be heard but the beating of their own hearts.

Azura presses a kiss to the top of Shigure’s head. There were times that simple things like this struck a chord in her heart, making her fond over the little things in her life. Their home, the peace and tranquility it brought, the domesticity of it all.

Some would have called it boring, but Azura thinks after how hectic their lives have been, it’s a welcome reprieve to come home to something as plain and simple as this.

Even if Shigure tended to wake up her and Corrin every now and then.

Shigure tugs on her collar at that moment, leaning away to blink at her, his expression curious and awake.

“Oh? You’re alright now, I see,” Azura says, and Shigure tilts his head, looking out from the window and back to his mother.

Azura presses a kiss to his cheek, to which Shigure gives a happy little hum in return; but as she returns to his crib and tries to set him back in it, he starts crying again.

“Oh, Shigure.” She frowns at him, his little fists balling up the collar of her gown once more as he gives her a pleading look.

“I’ll sing you another song, then. You like that, don’t you?” Azura asks, and she goes to sit down in the rocking chair by the window, gently pushing back his locks of blue hair and smiling softly as Shigure snuggles close to her, once more pressing his face into her shoulder.

So Azura sings for her son, a soft lullaby that lulls Shigure to sleep…

\---

Just as Azura settles Shigure back into his crib and heads back out the hallway, she hears yet another familiar little wail behind her. Pressing a hand to her forehead, Azura inhales deeply through her nose before turning back around and heading back into Shigure’s room. She finds him, once more, standing in his crib, tears at the corner of his eyes as he once more reaches out towards her.

With a huff of breath, Azura stands next to his crib, her arms crossed as she gives him a disapproving look. “Shigure, dear. Please.”

He blinks up at her in answer, stretching his arms out as far as he can, his bottom lip jutted out, his golden eyes pleading.

Azura’s resolve fades away, and she sighs, picking him back up; Shigure happily hums as he once more snuggles close, his head resting yet again on Azura’s shoulder. Figuring that another song wouldn’t do the trick this time, Azura leaves Shigure’s bedroom, instead heading towards her and Corrin’s. When she enters the dimly lit room and her vision vaguely adjusts to the darkness, she says softly, “Corrin, love, move over a little.”

Corrin rolls onto her back, blearily blinking up at Azura standing by the bed; with an unintelligible mumble, she moves over a little, allowing Azura to set Shigure down between them as she too finally gets back into bed.

“Hm? Wanna sleepover with us, Shigure?” Corrin manages to say as Shigure happily curls up between his parents. Corrin leans her head in, pressing a kiss to his forehead as she sighs; Azura lets out a tired exhale of her own, relieved to finally get some shut-eye.

“He’s getting better at sleeping on his own,” Azura says quietly, and she yawns again. “But for tonight, let’s let him sleep here with us.”

“Mhm. Sounds good.”

Although Corrin and Shigure fall back asleep immediately, the two of them in peaceful contentment, it takes Azura just a little bit longer to slip back into slumber; instead, she gently brushes the soft hair on Shigure’s head, his short blue locks so much like her own -- albeit without the bedhead. The little rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, the way his small hand wrapped around Corrin’s finger, and that little tip of his pointed ear, just like Corrin’s.

Another tug at her heartstrings, and Azura can’t help but press another kiss to the top of Shigure’s head.

There were times like now that Azura thinks that her life feels unreal, that she’d be happily married to her soulmate, that she had a place and a person to call home, that she would have a family of her own and a son to call hers. A long time ago, all of this would have been unbelievable -- but yet, here she is, experiencing it all.

As Azura casts her gaze upon her wife, sees those all too familiar wild strands of silver hair, the classic way Corrin’s shirt always rode up her midriff when she slept, and how her lips were slightly parted as she breathed; Azura feels a surge of love.

She might as well had seen something like this a thousand times, considering how long she’s known Corrin and how long they’ve shared a bed together, but something about such a familiar sight truly makes Azura feel…

Her heart swells in her chest, waves of emotion cascading into her soul, an unending flow of love and affection for that which she cared for most.

Shifting onto her arm for just a brief moment, Azura leans over to press a kiss to Corrin’s cheek; her warm exhale touches softly against Corrin’s cheek, and she awakens for just a moment, giving a soft sigh of her own.

“Mm...I love you too, Azura,” Corrin mumbles, and she awakens just enough to tilt her head for a full kiss; when they break apart, smiles are on both of their faces as the two of them settle back into bed.

“And I love you, too.”

Corrin reaches her hand out between them, and Azura interlaces her fingers between Corrin’s; an action they’ve done so many times but never ceases to tire them both. Shigure, in between them, wakes up briefly, squinting in the dimness before he too reaches out his own little hand to touch theirs.

Chuckling softly, Corrin says, “I love you too, Shigure.”

“And I as well,” Azura murmurs, and the both of them give one little kiss to the top of Shigure’s head -- he gives a happy hum in response, content and at peace with his parents.

The three of them fall asleep soon after that, and they would awaken later for another day in their lives, as they always have, and as they always will.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone: why isn't kana in this  
> me: because i'm a lazy bitch and i didn't wanna fuckin write a baby AND a toddler so press x to equip only ONE baby


	7. Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when you (whips) fuck up and think of an AU idea and then you (whips again) fuck up and write too much for it lmao
> 
> anywAY SLEEPING BEAUTY AU IS REALLY GOOD I JUST WANT DISNEY AUS OF MY OTPS SO BADLY Jkjagd Please,, please have azurrin waltzing in a forest together

“Right, right, dear, you’ll need to go out and go get us some berries and flowers and beautiful other things!” Camilla says hurriedly, pressing on Azura’s back to push her out of the kitchen; Sakura grabs Azura’s hand while Elise thrusts the handle of a wicker basket into Azura’s other hand.

“Pick some flowers, you say?” Azura asks, a little breathless as her guardians push and drag her towards the front door. “But I did that yesterday--”

“A-ah, w-well, now we need more!” Sakura says, opening the door with a nervous smile. “D-different ones, this time! You can get different ones!” Sakura adds, as Elise makes herself busy by tossing a shawl around Azura’s shoulders

Camilla gives her one final push out the door, and Azura means to turn around and tell her guardians that she didn’t have the chance to put on her shoes when she sees Elise poke her head out the window closest to her.

“And take your time! Totally just take as much time as you want, Azura,” Elise says, beaming, and then Camilla and Sakura appear behind her, giving eager nods in agreement.

“Yes, take your time, dear!”

“J-just be b-back in a couple of hours!”

Giving a huff of amusement, Azura nods, giving a little wave in farewell as she turns and heads off into the familiar, gentle green forest around her. As much as her guardians had wanted to hide it, she was certain they were up to something special for her birthday.

As Azura takes her first steps along the green path she’s known for so many years, she sighs with contentment as she feels the soft grass on her bare feet and the light brush of the spring breeze upon her cheeks.

In the quietness of the forest, Azura hums a tune; she glances up into the treetops to see a little blonde bird and a silver bird flutter down towards her, chirping her tune in return.

“Ah, hello there, Odin, Laslow,” Azura chuckles, holding her hand aloft and seeing Odin smugly perch upon her finger before Laslow butts him off. “Now, you two, don’t fight.”

Odin gives an irritated chirp before he flies to Azura’s shoulder and perches there, ruffling his feathers as Laslow too flies to Azura’s opposite shoulder; they both give happier tweets when she spares a moment to pet them both on the head, their feathers soft to her touch. [Her animal companions were the only friends she’d ever had aside from her guardians, and she’d named them all after the characters she’d found in the number of books she had back at the cottage.]

“I’m glad I at least have you two with me,” Azura says softly as she walks further into the forest, brushing her hand across the bark of tree trunks. The pair of birds reconcile enough to chirp and tweet at her with corresponding notes, and Azura finds comfort in their presence -- at least for a moment.

As the three of them head further into the forest, the golden, afternoon sunlight drifting through the tree canopy above, she sees other pairs of birds resting with one another on branches; they all give her tweets of greeting as she passes, fluttering from tree to tree as she, Odin, and Laslow make their way through.

Though she manages a small smile at the pairs of lovebirds happily tweeting at her, Azura can’t help but feel a little lonely, too.

“Oh, Odin, Laslow. You both have each other,” Azura says, shoulders slumping a little; Laslow responds with a questioning chirp, his head tilted to the side.

“Each of you has someone to sing sweet things to,” Azura says with a melancholy note, and Odin replies with a low chirp of understanding, sadness slumping his little shoulders as well. “I’ve sang so many songs in this forest, and I always wonder...if my song ever reaches someone who will sing back to me.”

Laslow gives a little chirrup in answer, and he nuzzles her cheek; Odin does the same, and Azura giggles a little, her mood momentarily lightened by her little friends’ concern. “Oh, you two are sweet.”

For as much as she’s enjoyed the peaceful tranquility of the forest and its friendly animal neighbors, for all her life, her guardians had kept her separate from everyone else in the world; she’d always been told to avoid strangers, to avoid the unknown. The reason _why_ \-- she’d never been told explicitly so, and she’d always wondered the truth of her strange upbringing. But always...Camilla and the others would say ‘when you’re older’.

“But now I am older,” Azura says aloud, and she pauses next to a large oak, resting her shoulder against its trunk as she holds the wicker basket in her hands. “It’s my sixteenth birthday today.”

Odin and Laslow give her wide-eyed looks, and Azura laughs at how comical they both look. “Oh, I didn’t say? Today’s my birthday.”

Laslow abruptly flaps his wings, hovering over her shoulder for a second before he darts off into the forest; no doubt to gather more of their woodland companions, and Azura chuckles as Odin makes a series of hurried chirps, as if urging Laslow to fly faster through the greenery.

And soon enough, as Azura hums and then sings the melody of a song, squirrels and rabbits dart through the bushes and the grass to join her at her side; Azura feels her heart soften as she holds aloft her wicker basket and a large owl settles within it, giving off a deep _hoo_ as he greets her.

“Mr. Niles, you are looking as handsome as ever,” Azura says fondly, tickling the ruffle of feathers at the top of Niles’ head.

Niles hoots back to her, giving a little nod of his head with a happy expression (albeit with his signature one eye, the other most likely having been pecked out by some other rival).

Azura continues her trek through the forest, doing small spins here and there and giggling as Niles flutters around her, with Odin and Laslow joining in to flit about her head. She hums another low, melancholy tune, with Niles giving soft _hoos_ in accompaniment; the woodland creatures follow her, and Azura once more finds herself walking to the edge of the forest, where she can gaze off into the distant horizon, across fields and meadows and rivers, and see the great white castle in the distance.

A low branch extends out from a tree, and she sighs, resting her basket upon it and touching her chin to the handle. “I hope someday I can go out there, on my own.”

For there in the distance, the grand, white castle gleams in the sunlight, a picturesque paradise amidst the rolling green fields extending out to the horizon. This had always been a sight unchanging since she’d first learned how to walk the forest on her own; and it had always been a sight that Azura wished she could go towards, to see other people, to hear different songs, to experience the sound of a bustling marketplace that she’s only ever imagined in books.

Niles perches on the branch, and his weight makes the branch sink a little; he cocks his head inquisitively at her pensive expression.

“They won’t allow me to go,” Azura says in answer.

_“Hoo?”_ Niles hops a little closer, tilting his head to the opposite side, his one eye looking at her with curiosity.

“Elise, Camilla, and Sakura.”

Odin and Laslow take that moment to flit around her head, giving indignant little chirps, before Laslow settles onto the tree branch and mimics buffing himself up, thrusting his wings at his waist and standing as tall as he can.

Azura gives a huff of amusement. “I don’t think fighting them, three versus one, is going to work out in my favor.” She takes her wicker basket with her as she turns away, leaving behind the spectacular view as she heads back into the serenity of the forest. “But maybe since today’s my sixteenth birthday,” Azura continues, holding aloft her finger so Odin can perch upon it. “I can ask them to tell me the truth.”

Niles soars past her before settling on a low tree branch ahead; he gives a low nod, as if in agreement, and Odin and Laslow chirp the same tune. Beside her, the squirrels and rabbits pad quietly by her feet, while the other birds flit through the leaves above.

Though Azura has lived in this forest all her life and knows it as well as the back of her hand, she could always find peace and comfort within this safe, green haven; and its acoustics were wonderful, allowing her to sing to her heart’s content.

And so, as her party continues down a small stream, its clear waters flowing ever so gently and briskly down through the glen, Azura sings once more -- not knowing her song reaches the ears of someone who most certainly did want to sing a tune right back.

\---

Corrin stifles a yawn behind her hand as she grips the reins of her horse; a tiresome, boring morning it had been for her, one filled with the monotonous drone of court royals talking to her about something or other. Then, her parents lecturing her about her duties, to which she’d heaved a deep sigh before acknowledging her parents’ words.

Finally, the afternoon had come around, and she’d finally been freed to get on her horse and head off into the forest in search of a voice she’d heard so often but never seen; a voice that sang so beautifully, it made Corrin’s heart touch the heavens.

So Corrin abruptly straightens up in her seat, all tiredness gone from her expression as she hears, once more, a muse’s song ring through the forest.

“There,” Corrin breathes, and she pulls slightly on the reins, getting her horse to slow. “Did you hear that, Silas? She’s singing again!”

Her horse, Silas, gives a snort as he rolls his eyes.

“C’mon, Silas, maybe today will be the day I get to meet her,” Corrin says, and Silas gives an impatient huff before continuing down the forest trail; right then, Corrin hears more of the siren’s song, wonderful and remarkable and amazing, all at once.

“She sounds close, Silas,” Corrin says once more, turning her head towards the heavenly sound.

Silas, however, plants his feet on the ground, giving a haughty shake of his head.

“Okay, fine. How about two buckets of oats when we get back? And a side of carrots?”

Silas immediately perks up at the sound of _carrots,_ and Corrin laughs as her steed valiantly whips around and begins to charge through the forest towards the sound of music. Keeping one grip on the reins and the other around the indigo cloak fastened about her neck, the two bolt between the trees. At certain bouts in time, they have to stop for a second, Silas panting as the music pauses for just a beat, leaving an otherworldly silence in its wake before the voice fills the forest once more -- and following the direction of a muse’s compass, Corrin and Silas make their way to their destination.

“There, Silas, there!” Corrin says eagerly, her face lighting up as she points; Silas follows her lead, and just as Silas makes to leap over a stream underneath low-hanging tree branches, does the horse hear a startled _augh!_

As Silas touches down on the other side, he turns around to see Corrin sitting, soaking wet, in the stream.

She casts him a sharp glare, taking off her soaked, pointed cap and throwing it at him; he easily plucks it out of the air with his teeth, giving a neigh full of humor as he tosses it back to her.

“Yeah, thanks a lot, you useless horse,” Corrin mutters, giving an exasperated groan at her soaked garments as she catches her hat. Standing up and unbuckling the indigo cape at her neck, Corrin makes to go sit by a tree, tossing her hat and cloak over a branch to dry.

As she struggles to take off her drenched boots, Silas comes to stand next to her, giving a little snort before going to munch on the grass next to her.

“Yeah, I really hope you’re proud of yourself,” Corrin says; all she gets in response is Silas flicking his tail at her, and she rolls her eyes.

After she successfully manages to tug off her soaked boots and toss them beneath her cloak, she listens to the forest once more; but she sighs when she hears nothing more but the quietness and stillness of the trees around her. Whoever her muse was, she had long since ended her song, and Corrin huffs as she gathers her hair in her hands to wring it free of water.

“So much for today, I guess,” Corrin says under her breath, leaning back against the tree trunk and staring up into the canopy of leaves above her.

But unbeknownst to her, her dream would come true.

\---

Azura finds a small clearing next to a large pond to settle herself down in, her wicker basket full of berries and flowers that the woodland animals had helped collect (and to which Odin and Laslow had furiously tried to outdo each other).

Her shawl wrapped around her arms as she sets the basket down next to her, Azura giggles as the rabbits and squirrels playfully run circles in front of her.

“I suppose I’m not quite alone,” she says softly before humming a soft tune; Odin and Laslow chirp in tandem as they settle onto her shoulders.

She casts her gaze to the clear waters of the pond, seeing its ripples cast small waves towards the shore; it reminds her of something -- or someone -- familiar.

“Actually,” Azura says, straightening up a little as a small smile spreads across her face. “I have met someone.”

Niles flies down from the tree above her, landing next to her and hobbling closer, wings slightly unfurled as he lets out an excited, “ _Hoo? Hoo?”_

The other woodland animals crowd around her, all their expressions brightly curious with anticipation to know more; Azura laughs, reaching out to pet Niles on the head as she says, “Oh, a certain someone.”

Laslow and Odin give a rapid series of tweets, hopping up and down on her shoulders in their eagerness to know more.

So Azura stands, her bare feet lightly touching the forest floor as she does a small pirouette, her shawl gracefully following in an arc behind her. “A knight, tall and beautiful, and ever so gentle and kind.”

She laughs again, when Niles tries to haphazardly follow her movement, doing a little spin in the air before she catches him, allowing her dazed little owl friend to regain his balance.

“She’s lovely, and sweet. We’ll talk and walk and dance along the shores of the lake,” Azura says wistfully, and she twirls again once more with Niles in her arms -- he gives a startled _hoo!_ in surprise before he nuzzles into Azura’s bosom and lets out a more sultry _o-hoo._

To which Azura immediately then tosses him into the air.

“As I was saying,” Azura continues as Niles frantically flaps to keep himself afloat (Laslow and Odin let out chirrups that sound a lot like laughter as they both sit on a branch on a tree nearby). “We’ll spend an afternoon together, and when it’s time to say goodbye, she takes my hand…”

And Azura holds out her hand, picturing her knight in shining armor before her as her woodland companions excitedly come closer to her, leaning in with excited faces--

“...And then I wake up,” Azura finishes with a hint of sadness, knowing that her imaginary knight would only ever be in her dreams, and her shoulders slump as she wraps her shawl around herself.

Niles, Laslow and Odin let out low, melancholy whistles, their own faces as disappointed and let down as the rest of the other animals.

Azura sighs. “I know. I feel quite the same.” She leans against a tree trunk, gazing off into the distance. “Someday, I hope I’ll meet someone, and not just in my dreams.”

Laslow flutters down to her, nuzzling her cheek, and she offers him just the smallest of smiles. “They say, though, if you dream a thing more than once, it’s meant to happen, right?”

Seeking comfort and advice from forest animals isn’t quite what Azura thinks is the right thing to do, but they’re the only friends she has; so in return, the animals all glance at each other before giving her uncertain nods.

\---

As Niles perches on a branch above her, he turns his head -- and his eyes widen when he spots an indigo cape and hat settled on a branch just across the way. He glances down, noticing that Azura is preoccupied humming a soft tune as she walks back to her wicker basket, and he gives a short _hoot_ to Odin and Laslow.

The pair fly up to him, heads cocked to the side in bewilderment before they see Niles giving a sharp peck in the direction of the cape.

Odin and Laslow get the message, flying down to a rabbit and pair of squirrels down below to relay the message…

And soon enough, they’re all darting off towards the hat and cape -- and to Corrin.

\---

“Ugh, you’re definitely not getting any oats or carrots when we get back, you know that, right?” Corrin says to an unperturbed Silas as he munches idly on some grass.

“Fine, be that way,” Corrin mutters, putting her hands behind her head and leaning back against the tree trunk behind her once again, maybe to take an idle nap before returning to the castle -- but then Silas abruptly chokes on his grass, his eyes suddenly wide with shock.

“What, you see a ghost or something?” Corrin huffs, but then Silas roughly nudges her arm, neighing and stomping his feet as he jerks his head at the direction of the commotion.

Frowning with a furrowed brow, Corrin sits up and turns, only to see a flock of wild animals stealing away her hat and cloak.

It takes her a split second to register what’s happening, because her gaze meets a one-eyed owl’s, and the two stare at each other for a heartbeat before the owl rapidly begins to flutter away across the stream with her cloak in its talons.

_“Woah, woah!_ Wait, hey!”

Corrin scrambles to her feet, already throwing a hand out to try and catch the tail end of her cloak -- but the birds are faster, and they zoom off and away off into the forest with her clothes -- and Corrin glances down in time to see a pair of rabbits rapidly hopping away with her boots, too.

“Wait! What-- _hey!_ Those are my clothes!” Corrin shouts, and she leaps over the stream and books it after the animals, with Silas hot on her tail.

\---

Azura hums a lilting tune to herself as she sits at the base at the trunk of a tree, wicker basket settled next to her, a little rabbit in her lap as she gently strokes its soft fur. At least in this small thing, she found a bit of tranquility, her fingers lightly stroking that cute little fluffiness behind the rabbit’s ears. Continuing to hum her little song, Azura smiles softly at her little rabbit companion -- before she hears a loud _hoo_ off to the side.

“Did you need something, Mr. Niles--” Azura starts, glancing up; she lets out a small gasp when she sees a very smug Mr. Niles hovering in the air, an elegant indigo cloak buckled around his neck and a pointed hat perched on his head. Laslow and Odin flutter on either side of Niles, keeping aloft the two ends of the cloak, and on the floor beneath the birds rest two rabbits within a pair of leather boots.

“Oh, my, look at you all,” Azura giggles, taking off her shawl and standing up. “Look at you, my wonderful knight in shining armor.”

Niles gives a _hoot,_ ruffling his feathers and puffing out his chest as he flies closer to her.

“Oh, care for a dance, Sir Niles?” Azura asks, and she does a curtsy as Niles, Odin, and Laslow give a clumsy little bow with the cloak.

“I don’t think I’m really allowed to talk with strangers, let alone dance with them,” Azura laughs as Odin and Laslow wrap a part of the cloak around her in a clumsy embrace. “But then again, it is my birthday…” Azura purses her lips, trying to stop herself from smiling as Niles, Odin, and Laslow give a synchronous chirp in response. “And I do recall, I _have_ met you before.”

She laughs once more, her clear and bright voice filling the forest around them -- and Azura sings of meeting a certain, wonderful someone, once upon a dream.

As her words make a melody of song, she dances with her shining owl-in-armor as she plucks the ends of the cloak from Odin and Laslow and then waltzes about the forest glen.

\---

Corrin’s much worse at tracking than she thinks she is, and it takes her a bit to follow the trail the animals left behind -- but when she thinks she’s near the end of it, she hears that voice again, the voice that’s filled her heart and mind and soul for days on end.

Parting a bush aside, Corrin holds her breath and then feels all the air leave her lungs when she sees a beautiful woman singing a beautiful song and performing a playful waltz around a little clearing -- with the owl wearing her cloak.

_“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream...”_

Corrin’s jaw drops, and she glances at Silas next to her to see that he’s in much the same state of surprise and awe.

And Azura, oblivious to her new audience member, spins Niles around in a circle, before she herself spins away, a muse’s song on her lips. She closes her eyes and lets herself twirl and pirouette on the spot, her arms uplifted on either side of her to keep her balance--

And from there, Corrin sees her chance -- darting forward from her hiding spot, she grabs the collar of a dazed Niles, hooks him onto a tree branch next to her, and then makes to turn to join this wonderful woman --

And turns face first into a tree branch that whips her, hard, in the face.

Corrin reels backward, dazed, and falls onto the ground.

An indignant Laslow and Odin hover by the branch, tweeting and chirping at her -- they begin pecking at her, and a startled Corrin says, “Wh-- _hey!_ What the heck is you guys’ problem--”

With Azura’s moment of bliss shattered by the interruption of a _stranger,_ she goes breathless; immediately, she makes to hide behind a tree as Corrin struggles to bat away Azura’s little guardians.

“Okay, _woah,_ relax, I’m not going to hurt--” Corrin manages to say, covering her face and arms as Laslow and Odin continue pecking at her.

“Silas, help me out!”

Silas casts her a look. Then he shrugs and begins eating the grass at his feet.

“Stupid horse,” Corrin says under her breath, attempting once more to bat away the insistent pair of birds; Azura watches from around the tree, pressing a hand to her heart as she sees Corrin unsteadily stand up.

For whoever this stranger was, Azura had to say, she was tall and beautiful; her silver gray hair loosely flowing down to the middle of her back, with a stature that made Azura think of regalness and royalty. She donned a gray tunic with black trousers, a black belt at her waist with a golden buckle.

Of course, Azura would’ve thought more on the appearance of this new stranger if it weren’t for the fact that the stranger was most definitely having a hard time trying to combat a pair of woodland birds.

“Okay, please! I’m serious! Please Bird One and Bird Two, can you just--” Corrin furiously waves a hand in front of her, momentarily diverting Laslow’s and Odin’s fiery attempts to defend Azura from the so-called mysterious stranger.

Azura thought, for a second, of maybe darting away and back to the cottage; but something holds her back, and she bites her lip…

For something about this woman seems so...familiar...

So Azura speaks.

“Laslow, Odin,” she calls to them; the two little guardians turn around, surprised, but they follow Azura’s command and fly back to her, fluttering about her shoulders as Azura warily looks around from behind the tree. At Azura’s feet, the squirrels and rabbits too tentatively hide, small and hunched as they gaze at Corrin with wide eyes.

And Corrin, panting, tries to gather her wits about herself as her gaze falls upon Azura -- for who can possibly describe someone such as she, radiant and glowing and most certainly the most amazing beauty Corrin’s ever seen?

“Miss,” Corrin says breathlessly, trying to look as composed as she can after being pecked a thousand times by two birds. She smooths out the front of her tunic and slicks back her messy hair, trying to put on what she hopes is a dashing smile. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Azura says nothing, for she can only gaze wordlessly at the first person she’s ever met.

Corrin takes a tentative step forward. “I, um,” she starts, but she notices how Azura takes a small step back, maintaining their distance -- and Corrin can read the room well enough to understand her caution.

“Um, I wanted to tell you that your singing is wonderful,” Corrin says, and she fiddles with the hem of her sleeve. “I’ve heard you sing a few times here, in the forest, and it’s always been so lovely.”

When Azura again says nothing, and only gazes Corrin with wide eyes and pursed lips, Corrin realizes, and accepts, that her muse sees her as but another stranger, unsafe and unknown.

“Sorry, again, for startling you,” Corrin says, and she turns towards where she’d hooked Niles; the owl gives an irritated _hoo!_ as Corrin unbuckles her cloak from around his neck and takes her hat off his head, and Niles flaps up into the branches above.

Corrin makes her way to Silas, putting her hat upon his head and tossing her cloak over the saddle.

“I’ll, uh, be on my way, miss,” Corrin says to Azura, turning and giving a respectful bow. “I apologize, again, for scaring you, and, um, your birds. I hope you have a good rest of the day, miss.” She gives Azura one last smile before beginning to pull herself up into the saddle--

And Azura realizes in that second that this stranger, tall and beautiful and gentle and kind and lovely and sweet, is about to _leave._

“Wait,” Azura says, and she takes a step out from behind the tree. “Please.”

Corrin pauses, eyebrows raised, one foot in a stirrup.

Azura’s never once been rendered speechless, and although it was a little scary and unnerving to finally _meet_ someone, it felt thrilling and _new,_ too.

“Are you alright?” Azura asks, breathless.

“Me?” Corrin asks, pointing stupidly at herself -- Silas rolls his eyes and snorts. “Shuddup, Silas,” Corrin says under her breath before looking back at Azura. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“I...I must apologize, as well. Odin and Laslow simply care a good deal about me,” Azura says, and the little pair of birds settle back on her shoulders, chests puffed out to display their small but resolute strength.

“It’s alright! I mean, I scared you, and, uh, all your other animal friends,” Corrin says, waving a vague hand at all the squirrels and rabbits by Azura’s feet. “I mean, if a really weird stranger came up to me, I’d probably punch them too.”

It occurs to Corrin just then that she’d called herself a weird stranger, and the more she thought on it, the more she realized how weird it really was to meet someone for the first time and immediately tell them that she’d been eavesdropping on that person singing.

Great first impression. Corrin almost wished Silas would kick her into the sky.

A blush comes across Corrin’s cheeks then, and she can’t quite meet Azura’s eye. “Um, so, I’ll just, uh, be on my way then--”

“Wait,” Azura says again, her heart pounding in her chest. “I…”

And Azura realizes that she doesn’t quite know what to say, but she knows that she doesn’t want this beautiful stranger to go just yet.

She just seems...so familiar. As if Azura’s met her before, once...

So Azura instead breathlessly asks aloud, “Have we met before?”

“H-have we met before?” Corrin repeats back, dumbfounded for a split second -- but then she gives a sheepish shrug and grin. “I-I mean, y-yeah, we have.”

“W-we have?”

“I mean, you said so yourself,” Corrin said; so she sings back, “ _Once upon a dream.”_

Azura blinks, caught off guard, but then with a chuckle full of disbelief and a small smile, she shakes her head. Taking a hesitant step forward, she says, “You have quite the voice.”

“But I have to say that you have a voice that sounds like the light of the sun and stars.”

Azura has to stifle a giggle behind her hand. “I also see that you’ve read _Calliope’s Song.”_

Silas gives a snort of humor, but Corrin elbows him, realizing that her attempt to sound smooth and suave completely backfired. “U-uh, I mean, well, it’s a really great book, and I always liked that line--”

And Corrin had totally thought that line would have been a great way to recover her ego after fumbling her graceful entrance and getting pecked by two birds -- instead she now realized she appeared even more the dumber for copying a line straight out of a fairy tale.

But for Azura, it tells her more about this stranger; well-read, and a romantic.

“I always did too,” Azura says, taking one more step forward; at her feet, the little forest creatures give her a little space, all of them sensing her intention. “I...Have you read the rest of that series?”

“I-I have!” Corrin says, bright and eager, and she too takes a step towards Azura. “It’s my favorite fairy tale, actually.”

And now Azura sees a chance that she’s never had, not in her entire life. Odin and Laslow, on her shoulders, exchange glances before flitting up into the trees above; for all of the forest can see the spark of interest between the two.

“If you’re not busy, I’d…I would love to hear more of your thoughts on that tale,” Azura says.

Corrin’s heart jumps in her chest as she grins. “I’d love that, too, Miss--?”

“Azura.”

Corrin blinks, for somehow that name sounds familiar -- but she gives a little shake of her head to clear it. “And I am Corrin, Miss Azura. It is an honor to meet you.”

As Corrin does a bow, Azura mirrors her with a curtsy. “Likewise, Corrin.”

\---

The two spend the rest of the afternoon settled next to a tree by the pond, reminiscing of stories and novels and fictional adventures of dashing heroes and terrible beasts.

Azura finds herself smiling and laughing as she’s never done before, as Corrin has a curious sense of humor, some of it accidental and some of it on purpose. Corrin, meanwhile, likes hearing Azura’s giggles and seeing Azura’s smile, for it takes her breath away -- but she also enjoys talking to someone about a shared interest, for it felt nice to speak to someone unrelated to court matters or royal intrigue.

Up above in the treetops, Azura’s avian guardians keep watch, the one-eyed owl and his two little birds-in-crime guarding the two little lovebirds beneath them; for now they all see how Azura found just a bit of happiness in that forest glen. Silas, meanwhile, stands near a tree, idly munching on his grass and giving affectionate nudges to the rabbits and squirrels who play around his feet and snout.

When the the sky begins to fade into hues of orange and the sun begins its descent to the horizon, Corrin says, “Ah, I actually have to go soon. It’s getting a bit late. I gotta head back to the castle.”

“The castle?” Azura asks, surprised. “Oh, I’ve always wanted to go there.”

Corrin brightens up. “I’d love to be the one to take you there, if you ever want to.”

“I would love that, Corrin.”

“Me too.” Corrin grins, and then stands up; she unthinkingly offers her hand to Azura -- but Azura takes it, and Corrin helps her up.

Azura’s hand feels so soft.

Corrin swallows.

Corrin’s hand feels so warm.

Azura goes breathless.

Then their eyes meet.

Neither let go of the other’s hand.

For as much as Azura doesn’t want to admit it aloud, she doesn’t quite want Corrin to leave -- it feels much too soon to lose the only friend she’s ever made.

And Corrin feels much the same. So she takes her chances.

“Um, Azura,” Corrin starts, a blush on her cheeks, her gaze unwavering. “Before I go...If I may ask you for a dance?”

“Oh,” Azura says. “I...I would love that, Corrin.”

“I...saw you waltzing, earlier,” Corrin says, sheepish. “I thought it was beautiful.”

Corrin’s genuineness was something Azura would have to get used to. “Then I wouldn’t mind a waltz with you.”

And Corrin’s smile once more takes her breath away.

And then, with Corrin’s hand at her waist, and her hand on Corrin’s shoulder, the two begin their waltz by the shores of the pond. And there, in the reflection of the calm, blue waters, their own fairy tale begins -- two young souls, cast away into a moment of a lovely fantasy where it was simply them, together.

“And, it might be presumptuous of me to ask,” Corrin says as their feet glide across the forest grass, her hand solid and warm in Azura’s. “But I’d love to hear you sing again.”

“If you’d sing with me, I’d love to.”

And so a duet begins to play through the forest, a song of dreams and newfound bonds. Up in the treetops, Niles, Laslow and Odin give dreamy little whistles as they watch the scene unfold, and Silas and the little woodland creatures at his feet watch with endearment as the two find their own rhythm and melody in a forest untouched by time.

For them both, it truly did feel like a dream.

But all good things must come to an end, and as the two sing their last note and finish the last steps of their waltz, Azura wishes once more that this day would never end.

“Miss Azura,” Corrin says, and she takes a chance and raises Azura’s hand, her lips just lightly brushing Azura’s knuckles. “Could I see you again?”

All the air is gone from Azura’s lungs, and she has to take in a shuddering breath to regain her composure. “I’d love that.” She thinks, for a second, trying to pull her thoughts together. “Um, tomorrow. Tomorrow morning. There’s a cottage, in a glen not far from here. Meet me there.”

“Of course,” Corrin says, completely ignoring the fact that she probably had court things to attend to the next day. “I promise, I’ll be there.”

And Azura takes one more second with Corrin, cherishing every moment -- she raises her free hand to gently cup Corrin’s cheek.

Corrin leans into her touch, gentle and lovely and kind and sweet, all at once.

Then Azura takes her hand away, knowing that she couldn’t stall any longer.

“Goodbye, Corrin,” Azura says softly, taking a step back and already missing the comforting weight of Corrin’s hand in her own.

“Goodbye, Azura.” Corrin’s heart feels close to bursting in her chest, for who would ever want to wake up from a dream such as this, one with a woman more beautiful than any star?

So Corrin turns and gets onto Silas’ back as Azura picks up her wicker basket and begins to make her way home, casting a glance behind her to see Corrin’s fast-retreating back as Silas gallops away through the forest; and she hopes in her heart, that Corrin was real, and not a figment of her imagination, conjured up to fulfill her wishes and cast away her loneliness.

Fortunately, for them, as they go their separate ways for the day, fate certainly made sure they would meet once more.

Unfortunately, like all fairy tales, it would involve quite a good deal more drama and conflict than necessary, but with any pair of soulmates, the two would make it through to the end.

For their dream of being together -- it was simply meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of azurrin week 2018 !! i had a lovely time doing all these prompts and it was really fun !! ;-; gave me a chance to flex my skills in other areas and really practice doing some things I don't normally get to do (or...think about lol)
> 
> anyway i really hope you all liked this one ;; I love putting my own spin on fairy tale stories and also I LOVE disney AUs...bitch...azura IS a disney princess for all I care lmao she may be a little OOC in this but imagine azura without,, bitterness or cynicism and that's who this azura is lmao  
> and i usually headcanon that corrin can't sing but in this au,, i mean,, its disney,, everyone can sing,, i'm 100% certain she has such a wonderful singing voice too ;;; azurrin...complements each other...bitch!!  
> i have a beauty and the beast au that's like 60% of the way done but ,,, idk if i'll ever post it b/c i'll probly never finish it lmao buT SOMEDAY maybe i'll post what i have so u guys can at least see how i've spun that one into my own style lol
> 
> also ;; tentative thought but i really do enjoy taking prompts like azurrin week's, it's really fun ;;; maybe i'll do set up some kind of azurrin discord server to take prompts ??? if u guys have thoughts on this lmk lol ;;;
> 
> thank you all again for reading and supporting !! ;; happy azurrin week !!


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